e
sat on the console room floor, his massive scarf draped in a heap
around him, his head cradled in his arms. He really hated not knowing
the TARDIS destination, and his thoughts were about whether it had
been worth fitting the Randomiser in the first place. Still, if it
kept the Black Guardian out of his curly hair, it would be worth the
hassle. Suddenly, the Doctor jumped to his feet, approached the
console and watched, as the central column began its slow, rhythmic
rise and fall. The TARDIS was about to materialise...

It
was a very drizzly day on the planet. It had once been a most
tranquil place, until the Humans had arrived. They brought their
machinery and pollution and they brought death. The Humans had come
to mine the soil for the valuable minerals and elements below it.
This was the present, but they had also come before. They had
promised when they left to keep secret the planets great mineral
wealth. In the present they returned with massive mining machines and
claimed the planet in the name of Earth, in the name of IMC.

The
peace loving people of the planet were herded from their majestic
cities using the power of the dark, and the weapon of sharp sounds.
IMC troopers then ruthlessly exterminated them, and then the company
executives calmly filed a claim on their planet. They claimed the
indigenous population had been wiped out by a mysterious virus. There
were no objections to the claim because the company practically owned
the Earth. Besides, what was good for IMC was good for Earth.

The
drizzle had finally abated, and the sun was desperately trying to
peek through the dark clouds of pollution. A feeble ray of light
touched the city. Meanwhile, on the steep hill that overlooked the
ruins of the once noble city, the population of which had been
supplied with water from an impressive Aqueduct, there stood a
statue...

This statue was ancient and pitted. It was a most amazing
sight. In front of its imposing looks, a blue box was just appearing.
The noise of its arrival echoed around the devastated valley that
surrounded the ruins. After a while, the door of the TARDIS opened
and out stepped the Doctor, slowly followed by Romana. He sniffed the
air and his face creased in disgust. Romana did the same, she then
coughed. The air was rancid with by-products of the mining industry.
They both stood for a while, with the chilling wind lashing
at their bodies.

The Doctor surveyed the scene before them. Large
scars were gouged out of the once fertile soil; smoke billowed from
large ugly factories that were scattered around all over the
landscape. As the Doctor looked, he noticed the words "PROPERTY
OF INTERPLANETARY MINING CORPORATION" stencilled over all the
equipment and buildings. This sparked an old memory, a memory of a
bleak and barren planet and the suffering of its innocent colonists
at the hands of the tyrannical IMC. As he switched his view to the
city ruins, his vast memory got another jolt. He looked at Romana and
said, 'I do believe I have been here before, but I cannot for
the lives of me know what this benighted planets name is!'

Romana
questioned him, 'Do you want to stay in this slag heap to
find out?'

The Doctor looked at her and shook his head, and then
they both turned and entered the TARDIS. Just before he followed
Romana inside, he paused and turned, then he said sadly, 'Sometimes human greed really revolts me.'

As
the TARDIS melted back into the vortex, the sun broke fully through
the filth. It shone on the statue that had been hidden by the TARDIS;
its features were now visible to the valley. The statue was vaguely
human in shape. It had a bald head fringed by fine wispy hair. It
wore a one-piece coverall with thin black overlapping sashes across
its chest. The strangest thing about the statue was its feet. They
resembled two large plates...

written by

ASHLEY MYLES

copyright 2013

artwork by

COLIN JOHN

copyright 2013

artwork by ANDY LAMBERT

used with permission

Welcome to inferno-fiction.co.uk.

Inferno Fiction is an on-line Doctor Who Fiction Fanzine. First created in the 80's when fanzines in the printed form were the norm, the fanzine has now leapt onto the world wide web and is enjoyed by many across the world!

The stories featured are from the original pages of the printed fanzine and now include a collection of new material.

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